SAN ANTONIO – Match.com is known for being a dating website, but it has now been credited for also helping deliver the gift of life.
Bob Golden and Beth Ann Willstrop met on Match.com and while they did not find a love connection, they did become best friends.
Golden was diagnosed with kidney failure in April 2014 and after more than a year of testing, Willstrop learned she was a match for a kidney transplant, and decided to help her friend in need.
“I was able to give him that on Christmas but it’s also his birthday,” said Willstrop. “He was born on Christmas Day so I was able to give him a Christmas gift and a birthday gift that would be a gift of life.
The two underwent surgery at CHRISTUS Transplant Institute in May and have both recovered. The pair now joke about how they met, but are grateful for where it led them.
“We met on Match.com. That's not the match I was looking for but you know it worked out and I still have my best friend, and we have a lot to celebrate this year,” Willstrop said.
To show how thankful he is, Golden bought a special necklace for Beth.
He said the necklace is not just for donating a kidney to him, but for the process she had to go through to give him his life back.